Accidents Involving Deer

Deer are such benign looking animals. Everyone calls them cute. A deer was the cause of my husbands accident and death. On a recent trip to Big Sur, CA I hiked a trail to the ocean. Along the way, there was a walk-in campground with a small group of deer grazing. I wanted to start throwing rocks at them. Instead, I forced myself to sit on a picnic table and just watch them. I got to about 20 feet from them. They were obviously used to people. They seem so benign, harmless and stupid. I found myself talking to them and saying, "do you know your relatives were the cause of my husband's death?"; and, "you're genetic species killed my husband".

I wondered about deer behavior. The entire time I sat staring at them, they just ate grass. I wondered what causes them to wander out on roads and highways? I thought, are deer really just that stupid? Do they have such a tiny brain that there is nothing in there that gives them a warning the roadway isn't a safe place to be? Why wouldn't they be scared off by the noise of an engine? I decided that, yes, they are that stupid. Deer are not cute. They are not benign. They are not harmless. They cause a huge amount of carnage and heartache.

A recent USA Today article cited the number of insurance claims by state for deer, elk and moose collisions from 2005-2006. The total was 1.5 million drivers! The top 10 states for deer collisions are PA (18,846), MI, IL, OH, GA, MN, IN, SC, VA, NY ((6,407). WI, the state of my husband's run-in with a deer, ranks 15th (4,829). According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer crashes result in at least $1.1 billion a year in vehicle damage. About 200 deaths every year are the result of animal-auto accidents. Most of them involving deer. I don't know if these stats include motorcycles or not, but there were 4,008 motorcycle fatalities in 2004. My husband was one of them.

One of the outcomes of his accident for me: when I see road signs warning of deer nearby or deer crossing the road, I slow down and pay attention. I hope you do to.